Your Stop is Mine
by in-Pursuit-Of-Magic-97
Summary: He sees her at the bus stop everyday, but had never said anything. Muggle AU! Fluff! Harmony Forever!


"Is this seat taken?"

He looked up to see the same fiery haired girl regarding him with an expectant look on her face. Her eyes felt like those deep caramel oceans of genteelness that he would happily drown into.

"No, please," He moved his briefcase from the seat beside him to his lap and gestured her to take the seat.

"Thank you," she said, giving him a half-smile and he nodded in return and looked ahead. He didn't want to look like a creep by staring at her, and boy was it hard when her wild hair was practically falling half on his shoulder and producing some serious tickling sensations whenever it touched his neck as the bus began to move.

She was soon lost in the book she was carrying. From the corner of his eyes, he took in the old, worn out cover and knew it might be a favourite of hers because she read it practically every day. He stole another quick glance at her face and saw that she was biting her lip again and immediately berated himself for being too eager and let his eyes stare into his lap for the remainder of the journey. He also briefly let himself fantasize about a future when he would finally muster the courage to at least ask her name.

The bus went on for six stops in total, and as usual, she got up from her seat - for the first time from beside him - at the fourth one. Just as he watched her go, _again_, he sighed and shook his head. He thought of getting up but then saw something else.

There was an elderly, white-haired couple sitting in front of him. The man was also shaking his head at him, smiling, as if knowing a secret that he didn't. He tried to ignore it...ignore them really, but it was quite testing.

The next day, he was sitting in his usual seat again when she came in. This time however, he didn't give her the chance to ask and simply removed his briefcase for her to sit. She smiled gratefully and he saw her eyes were sparkling.

"Hi, I'm Hermione."

He blushed but managed to nod his head dumbly and murmur, "Harry."

"Nice to meet you, Harry. Well, again," Hermione said with a chuckle and he found himself relaxing a bit, the sound of her voice doing more to calm his jittery nerves than the doctor had ever been able to.

For the first time ever, she had put her book aside and tried to make conversation. Harry found himself eager to talk more. After all, it was only a few minutes to her stop.

"I am a fan of the classics too,"

Hermione beamed at him like he'd just won her heart. His heart fluttered and did a small happy dance as she went on to tell him, "Who's your all time favourite character?"

"Mr. Rochester, of course," Harry said instantly, and mentally high-fived himself for getting another wide smile out of her.

"I love Lizzie and Mr. Darcy," Hermione replied, her eyes fixed on him, and he wished this bus ride would never end. "What do you like the most about Mr. Rochester?"

"He was so heroic and courageous," Harry began and he found himself speaking more to her than he'd done in a week.

When her stop did come, he wished her goodbye with a promise to see her tomorrow to which she just winked at him, causing another round of butterflies to flutter in his stomach, making him almost dizzy. When he went on to get off himself, he found himself standing momentarily in front of the same elderly couple.

The old man just nodded at him, smiling again, and pointed towards the seat which he'd just vacated.

He turned back and saw the book, Hermione's book, sitting on the seat, alone and seemingly abandoned.

Harry retrieved it immediately and put it in his briefcase. Thanking the man, Harry disembarked, thinking of scenarios in his mind of how to give it to her back the next day.

Hermione never came the next day, or the day after.

Harry was almost on the verge of losing hope when on the third day, she was getting on the bus again.

"Hey, Hermione!" He called out to her and she gave him a small smile in return as she went on to sit beside him.

"You didn't come yesterday," he asked gently, and when Hermione simply shrugged, he took out her book from his bag.

"Does this have something to do with it?"

Hermione's face took on so many ranges of emotions in so few seconds that Harry was almost going to apologise when she was suddenly embracing him.

"Oh, Harry. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Harry knew that from now on he loved to be in her hug more than anything else in the world. "How did you find it?" she asked, taking the book gently from his hands.

"You left it on the seat that day."

Hermione looked at him with such force that he felt himself going weak in the knees. It was a good thing he was sitting because she was hugging him again.

"You knitted it!" Hermione exclaimed, wonder in her voice.

Harry smiled bashfully, looking down in his lap as he said, "Yes, the pages were all coming hither and thither and the binding was going to fail soon. So I knitted them together. Obviously this book is important to you."

When he looked at her again, he felt something else in her stare. That thing that had been left unsaid between them was now stronger than ever. And he felt it, strong and fiery in his chest, bubbling in his veins and trickling like electricity on his skin. He was soon going to melt under her stare. And he also knew he would do nothing to stop it.

"I don't know what to say," Hermione said finally.

"A thank you will be enough."

It was time for Hermione to blush and Harry could swear he felt her hair move and tickle his shoulder even more.

"Thank you, Harry."

Harry nodded and then felt like asking, "Why do you read the same book everyday?"

Hermione looked at him such tenderness as she clutched the book to her chest that he felt like he should wrap his arms around her. But while Harry thought that, Hermione was already snuggling a bit to his side, and Harry felt his arm automatically go around her shoulder.

"My mum used to read it to me. It would've been her fiftieth birthday this month and this time of the year is necessary for me to see my shrink. You know, to control the demons."

It felt as if he had known her for ages as Harry offered what comfort he could and Hermione soaked it like she needed just that. And only from him.

Harry sighed, with his nose against her hair just as Hermione asked, "Isn't your stop just after this one?"

Harry almost said yes but then remembered that he always got off on the fifth stop. "Nope." he said, studiously avoiding her gaze.

"But you live on 22nd street."

This time, Harry looked at her in surprise, "How did you ...?"

"Your name was in the register, along with your address. You should be getting off at the stop before mine," Hermione said, her eyes gaining a mischievous glint that made him somehow grow bolder too.

Harry felt his secret exposed but his nerves didn't fail him, not this time, "And I could also ask you why you always choose to wait for an entire hour for my appointment to end before taking the bus."

He saw her face heat up and leaned his head slightly to the side to have those wild strands of her hair tickle his face again.

"I just thought you should have some company," The way her two cute, larger front teeth came out to bite her lips had him falling hard, regardless of the fact that he was still sitting.

Harry found himself replying, "Yes. And I thank you for it. To tell you the truth, those panic attacks began to get sparse from the day I began to see you on the bus."

Hermione smiled again and Harry really wished this short journey would never end. Just then, the announcement rang out for the third stop. Harry's stop. And this time, he really didn't have any excuse to sit for another two stops.

He got up reluctantly, but saw that Hermione had too. "Where are you going?" he asked, surprised.

"I get off here."

"But it's not your stop yet," Harry informed her, confused.

"Today, your stop is mine, silly," Hermione said as she winked at him and motioned to quickly follow her as the bus came to a halt.

* * *

**Please leave a review? Thank you for reading! :)**


End file.
